Previous Campaigns

2008-2009: Hospitals Safe from Disasters

Launched in Paris in June 2008 by UNISDR, UNESCO, and with support from the French Government, the campaign focuses on promoting the safety of school buildings and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into school curricula or at least school activities.

2006-2007: Disaster risk reduction begins at school

Launched in Paris in June 2006 by UNISDR, UNESCO, and with support from the French Government, the campaign focuses on promoting the safety of school buildings and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into school curricula or at least school activities.

2005: Invest to Prevent Disasters

Microfinance is a tool that has successfully been utilized to improve livelihood options and reduce poverty. UNISDR launched a campaign to promote dialogue with the microfinance community on using these tools to reduce disaster risk.

2004: Today's disasters for tomorrow's hazards

After a disaster, government authorities, businesses, community groups and individuals should all ask whether appropriate actions were taken to save life and property. All should work together to improve the chain of information and decision-making, so that their communities are better prepared should hazards strike again.

2003: Turning the tide...

This theme reminds us, during the International Year of Freshwater, that the task is not just to preserve water resources to sustain life, but also to reduce the capacity of water to take life away. More than 90 per cent of all disasters occurring around the world today are related to water.

2002: Sustainable mountain development

No community is immune from the threat of natural disasters, but mountain communities are particularly vulnerable. Poor land-use planning, environmental mismanagement, the lack of regulatory mechanisms and other human activities increase the risk that a disaster will occur, and worsen their effects when they do.

2001: Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability

Vulnerability is increasing. While no country is entirely safe, poorer countries in particular lack the capacity to and prevent and prepare for disasters. With the urban population of developing countries having reached more than 1.3 billion, people are forced to inhabit disaster-prone areas such as flood plains and deforested lands.

2000: Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth

It is important for future generations, as the leaders of tomorrow, to learn about the long-term aspects of environmental protection and to provide them with the necessary early education for a better understanding of both natural hazards and the way to prevent their disastrous impact on societies.